Columbus Day To Become Indigenous Peoples Day In Maine

Governor Janet Mills will sign the papers today, officially changing the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The measure passed through the House and Senate with bipartisan support and will become official today, with Mills' signature. WGME-TV reports Representative Ben Collings, who sponsored the bill, will be by the governor's side, as will Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana and Chiefs from Maine's Native American Tribes.

Indigenous people are defined by the United Nations as anyone whose cultural, political, and societal backgrounds and practices differ from those of the dominant societies in the land in which they choose to live.

Many other states have already made the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day, including New Mexico, Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont, Hawaii, Oregon, and South Dakota.